Benjamin and Melinda Yarbrough
OCTOBER 27, 2020
Melinda and Benjamin Yarbrough of Natchez, Mississippi are funding an annual Senior Professor Research Award in the Natural Sciences division of the University of Mississippi College of Liberal Arts.
“After family, Ole Miss has been one of the most important and long-standing influences in my life,” said Ben Yarbrough (BS biological science ’75; MD ’80), who practiced emergency medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and is a pulmonary specialist in Meadville, Mississippi. “I still remember watching my first football game with my twin brother, George, from the press box in Hemingway stadium with Tad Smith! We were seven or eight years old. Awesome!
“Many of the best things in my life were either directly or indirectly the result of my Ole Miss relationships. I am so grateful for my time in Oxford and at UMMC in Jackson.
“Now, Melinda and I continue to support Ole Miss with the Senior Professor Research Award for Natural Sciences Fund, and we hope others will be motivated to exercise similar generosity toward the university, which equipped them with knowledge and skills to pursue a meaningful and prosperous life.
“We invest in Ole Miss in order to invest in Mississippi’s and America’s future. Ole Miss students inevitably become leaders regardless the career paths they trail blaze. It is an honor to be part of the Ole Miss family!”
The Melinda and Ben Yarbrough, MD Senior Professor Research Award for Natural Sciences is given to College of Liberal Arts faculty members in recognition of research and scholarship.
“As a Carnegie R1 highest research activity university, it is important we publicly recognize our most productive faculty for their sustained efforts in research, scholarship, and creative achievements,” said Lee M. Cohen, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and professor of psychology.
“The opportunity to showcase the exceptional research conducted by senior professors in natural sciences greatly benefits the College of Liberal Arts and the university. Thanks to Ben and Melinda’s generous gift, the Yarbrough Award rewards our scholars’ exemplary performance in the natural sciences.”
MAKE A GIFT: Ron Wilson, jrwilso3@olemiss.edu, 662.915.1755